A Love That Lasts Forever
by xBostonBabyx
Summary: This morning she was Bella, 18 and in love. Tonight she is Isabella, foreign and empty, just a shell of the girl she once was. Her true love had been taken from her, and now she would join her so they could enter a different kind of forever together."


A Love That Lasts Forever

The tears rolled down Bella's cheeks, creating salt water riverbeds on her pale face. Her body quivered with tremors as the previous hours' events played back in her head with vivid recollection. The rain pounded down steadily from the sky, soaking quickly through her clothes, mixing with the endless tears that streamed from her despondent eyes. The spark that once resided in her warm chocolate irises was gone, now replaced with a dull muddy brown that matched the wet dirt under her feet.

This morning she was Bella, eighteen and in love, supposedly to remain that way forever. Tonight she is Isabella, foreign and empty, just a shell of the girl she once was. Ever since that first kiss, a piece of her was locked inside of Alice, and now that Alice was gone, she would never be whole again. What was she now? Who was she now? A wanderer. Alone and lost with nobody to guide her. Her true love had been taken from her, and now she would join her so they could enter a different kind of forever together.

Edward had always been skeptical about what was waiting for the immortal once they crossed over from this life to the next, but Alice was so sure of what would be across the arches. Bella could only hope now that Alice was right so they could be together once more. The tears would not cease. She was in so much pain, and the tears were the only thing that seemed to make it bearable. Her heart had been torn apart tonight, and now it was shattering in her chest, piercing her lungs and breaking through her ribs one by one.

Bella clutched at her chest, scratching at the fabric beneath her nails, trying to dig her heart out so the pain would stop. She screamed into the night, her cry of sorrow slicing through the cool night air, chilling even the trees. Why Alice? Why her sweet, loving, caring vampire who made everything okay when it wasn't, who always told her the truth, who always promised to keep her safe? Bella's breath came in short, raspy pants now as her lungs struggled to keep moving against the weight that threatened to cease their movement.

She fell to her knees and closed her eyes, gripping her head between her hands and shaking it violently from side to side, willing the memories from her mind. Vibrant shades of red and white flashed behind her eyelids as her brain racked through Alice's final moments again and again. The sound of her vampire's screams shot through Bella's ears, mixed with the metallic smell and sound that came simultaneously to the brunette's senses, sending her stomach churning. They were too late. Emmett, Rosalie, Edward, Carlisle, Esme, Jasper. They were all too late. Alice was already gone as they streaked through the clearing, quickly ripping Victoria away from a mangled Alice, a strand of her fiery-red hair drifting down to rest on the blood-dampened earth. Bella had run as fast as she could.

She didn't want to see the solid purple cloud that rose from the trees, signaling the end of the love she and Alice once shared. She didn't want to smell the scent of her lover's remains burning in the death-darkened night. Alice once theorized that when the purple smoke rose up into the sky, it carried with it a vampire's spirit. Bella didn't want to see Alice leave this world behind, because that meant she was leaving her behind with it. So she ran.

She ran through trees until she emerged out of the path onto open road, a particular yellow Porsche resting peacefully by the side of the road. Never again would the car's gas pedal be pushed to superhuman speeds by the foot of a beautiful pixie. So, in an ode to her beloved, Bella got into the lonely car and curled up in the driver's seat, surrounding herself with Alice's scent, drifting into a sweet unconsciousness of pleasant memories that she and Alice had made. The way the petite vampire danced through life brought a faint smile back to Bella's lips as she stared out over the cliff, now, contemplating not what she was leaving behind, but what she was entering in to. She hadn't had a chance to say goodbye to anybody, not even the Cullens.

Bella had woken to the sound of thunder and the thumping of hail on Alice's windshield a few hours after she'd fallen asleep in the front seat. After taking one last gulp of Alice's sweet scent, she proceeded to walk aimlessly through the sleet and bitter cold, never feeling the harsh grips of frost on her exposed skin. She was numb now. Immune to everything but the pain. She had drifted from street to street, not realizing where she was going until she had arrived at the cliff she and Alice had shared their first kiss on.

So here she was. And nobody had come for her. Not Edward or Emmett. Not Carlisle or Esme. Nobody had emerged from the meadow after her, so now, on this night, Bella felt truly alone as she pulled herself up to her shaky feet and stepped to the cliff face. Soon she would crash into the angry waves who would pull her under into their tumultuous depths, setting her free to meet once again with the one who had been taken. To her Alice.

"I love you, Alice. You said we'd be together forever, you just didn't know what life we would spend forever in. I'll see you soon, my love, my life." Her words came out as a whisper, drowned out by the harsh winds that whipped her hair around her face.

And with that, Bella leapt out into the night air, handing herself over to the grips of gravity, savoring in the feeling as she fell, drifting past the cliff like a human bullet. She wasn't afraid anymore. She felt oddly at peace as the water welcomed her, dragging her down past the rocks and the sand. Her small frame was battered about in the fierce swells, being thrown from side to side.

She didn't feel the pain as she crashed into the ocean, or the pain as her body was flung carelessly into a jagged rock, hidden by the tide. She didn't feel the pain as her lungs protested for oxygen, screaming for relief. She didn't feel the pain as the remaining oxygen rushed through her lips, or the pain as she breathed in instinctively, a mouthful of water burning her throat and smothering her lungs. All she felt was calm as sweet memories of Alice and her played out before her eyes.

The scene before her got fuzzy around the edges as she slowly drifted away from this life. She paid no attention as something hurtled into the sea above her; the water was all she could see now, shifting violently in all directions, pulling against itself forcefully. Just before she went under, Bella distantly felt a pair of strong, cold arms wrap around her waist, pulling her away from the hands of the cold, dark, ocean. She sensed herself being towed back in the direction of shore, her head weakly bobbing above the sea. Then everything faded to black.

"Bella. Bella, love, please open your eyes. I'm here. You're going to be fine. Just please, breathe, Bella. Breathe. Damn it, Bella. Open your eyes. Please. I can't lose you. Please, baby, just breathe." Bella heard an angel pleading in the distance, breaking through a heavy haze that had settled itself upon her.

The angel choked out soft sobs as her gentle hands pushed forcefully down on Bella's chest. Soft, delicious lips touched hers as a puff of air was blown into her water-logged lungs. Sharp jabs of pain pierced through Bella's ribcage with every pump of the angel's hands.

"Bella, Please. Breathe, darling. Just open your eyes." Her heartbeat was thumping reluctantly, a deep, shallow pounding that had grown weaker with each beat. "Carlisle?" The angel's voice was pained. Bella couldn't quite make out a faint voice coming from her left.

The angel's tender lips touched Bella's once more as another gust of air was forced into her lungs. Then she could feel it as the water worked it way slowly up her throat, burning twice as much as it did when it went down. Her chest pushed out the saltwater vehemently, freeing her lungs to take in air once more. Bella finally broke through the haze that had been weighing her down as she coughed out the rest of the fluids, Alice cradling her gently in her small arms.

"Alice?" Bella rasped, staring up at her lover through panicked eyes.

"I'm here. Thank God you're okay. Thank God. How could you do something so stupid, you silly, silly human." Her chastisements were forgotten as she leaned down and kissed Bella with an unrestrained passion, holding her tight to her ice cold body.

"I saw you…"

"Shh. Rest now, love. We'll talk about it later."

"But the purple smoke-"

"Was all that was left once the boys got done with Victoria."

"But how are you…?"

"She never got a chance to burn the pieces. I'll explain it all later, I promise. Rest now, Bella."

"I love you, Alice."

"I love you, too, Bella. So much."

"Forever."

"Forever," Alice agreed, and then the darkness consumed Bella once more.

The End.

A/N: If you're confused, Alice never really died because Victoria never got a chance to burn the pieces, so Carlisle could put Alice back together. Also, the purple cloud Bella saw was Victoria burning. Hope you enjoyed reading. :)


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